This invention relates to a calking (i.e., crimping) apparatus for calking hooks of plate against container, e.g., a plastic tank. The crimping apparatus of this invention is useful for jointing a core plate of heat exchanger with a tank. It is especially useful for making an automotive engine radiator.
A conventional crimping apparatus has a couple of crimping dies, i.e., an upper die and lower die. A metal plate is held in the lower die, and is crimped while the upper die is coming closer to the lower die. A conventional crimping dies, however, have a fixed shape. Therefore, the conventional crimping dies are used only for a certain shaped metal plate. In other words, when an operator wants to use the same press machine for squeeze-forming more than two shapes of metal plate, he has to change the dies. So, he has to spend a lot of time when he exchanges the dies. Furthermore, since the operator also has to keep a plurality of dies, he has to expend much money for them.